About Me

I am an antique textile dealer and also make things from a variety of my textiles,usually things that are distressed and can be recycled to extend their life and enjoy their beauty or workmanship.
I buy antique quilts exstensively ,log cabin pattern is my favourite. "Paisley" shawls are another passion of mine,even the damaged ones find a good home with me! love the colours, so rich.
I have a soft spot for anything in wool, must be my Northern roots and upbringing,Blankets, sweaters, tweeds and felts , the more rustic the better.
Lizzy and I share a love of French linen and textiles and have a joint collection , " Franglais " which we source together on our travels, bedlinens , soft furnishings , sheets for curtains , the more rustic the better we like them Handwoven linens and hemps from the 19th cent. wonderful shirts and chemises.

Friday, 12 November 2010

No!! this is bonfire night outside the Red Lion Desertines France. No prizes given for recognizing the " guy " !!What the French think of this who knows ! however they are all in favour of the other events Carline and Tony organize. There is always a record turn out for curry night once a month and the fish and chips are popular it's just a fun place in a lovely square with lots of help and advice for new arrivals and a great network if you need something done.

you all know by now that I love chickens ! Nick and Ticky have expanded their flock and because Ticky could not make her mind up they had two of each. I love the speckled ones !! I adore the noises they make when you feed them, the original four have sorted out the pecking order (sorry could not resist that one !) and peace reigns however they are a bit young , so a lot of chickens and no eggs yet.

I have been lucky enough to be able to have a stall at this event and am really looking forward to it.There are some really interesting stall holders so I think Christmas shopping might be the order of the day for something special and decorative.

Tuesday, 9 November 2010

Crack of dawn last Thursday saw me on the road to Portsmouth to catch the early ferry to Caen. We had a good crossing despite the warnings of gales that had me peering out the window at 4 am praying the ferry would not be canceled.I had my route numbers pinned to Freida's dashboard and set off south through the most amazing colours , reds that I have only seen in Canada and New England ! Ticky tells me they are the cherry trees.I arrived at 5 .30 just before dark happy to be back.Friday I drove Ticky into Mayenne where she helps an Estate agent friend with her English web site. Mayenne is lovely and has wonderful ancient buildings overlooking the river. It has a couple of brocantes which are worth looking at , I managed to find some more jars for my cotton reels and some amazing 50's dress patterns.I had with me Ticks friend Pat who was keen to have a days rummaging and proved to be great company. We managed several places plus a good lunch and I was thrilled by what I found at one of my regular stops. He had bought from a Manoir .